The Most Surprising 1st Overall Pick Debuts

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With Connor Bedard set to make his NHL Debut, in today's video we take a look at the debuts of Nail Yakupov, Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, Alexis Lafreniere, and Juraj Slafkovsky.
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[@RobTalksHockey]

Can you name a crazy debut? And what are you expectations for Bedard?

[@topsu9998]

Atleast 1 point

[@topsu9998]

Also i'll be there when you hit 100k. I've been little bit busy so i haven't on the lives

[@abekor70]

A hat trick

[@peldunasj18]

Auston Matthews hit ‘em with the 4

[@Habsfan56744]

I’d say 2 goals maybe I’m not sayin it going to Happen but that would be awesome

[@lethanosjames2976]

Slaf potential is crazy if he puts it all together, his combination of size, speed and hands is so rare nowadays. He just needs some year to develop, these type of players take more time to flesh out

[@jacobstemme6807]

Sounds a ton like tage thompson, wasnt really much until it was all tied together. But when he did... well you know

[@RobTalksHockey]

Agreed!

[@Kevinmac1120]

Big power forwards def take longer to develop. Defensemen obviously as well

[@lethanosjames2976]

@@SammySlam Drasaitl had 9 points i his first season and yet he has many 100 point season already, I'm not saying Slaf is Drai 2.0, but that a player first seasons is in no way an indication of his full potential. I agree that last year was disappointing for a 1st overall, but if you watched the preseason this year, Slaf progress is certainly noticable.

[@lethanosjames2976]

Exactly, just wait until he adopt the more gritty north american style, he could be a beast. Just a reminder, he is 19 years, 6"3 and 230, I don't know any other player who came in the league at 18 with this frame

[@Enraged.]

As a habs fan, until Slaf is out of the league, I will not say he's a bust. He could develop like Jack Hughes, needing 2-3 seasons, or he could develop like Tage Thompson, and need 6 seasons to become what he could be. He could even be a Yakupov and fizzle out before he has a chance to get going. I'm optimistic about him, considering people like him need extra time to get going.

[@liambible2504]

He can only now drink in all of Canada. If he stays healthy, he will play his first full NHL season. Migottez vous! Kid’s gonna be all right.

[@krisrolph1058]

Funny how Edm has the worst and best. Thanks for that thumbNAIL, rob.

[@Whatisahandlehuh]

Lol 😂 yeah it’s crazy on how they ended up on both sides - possibly the best 1st pick ever & years before that; probably the worst lol

[@vrooman7134]

@@Whatisahandlehuh Its not that crazy when you think about it, they got 40% of that decades first overall picks.. bound to be a little bit of everything in there 😅

[@Jinjee_YamYam]

don't you still have nuget?

[@MK-ji9ke]

1997 1st overall pick, Jumbo Joe Thornton, got 3 goals, 7 points in 55 games during his rookie year for Boston. 2nd pick was Superstar Patrick Marleau with 32 points. Hossa and Luongo are currently the only HOF players from that draft year. Clearly Thornton was a bust! /s The next lowest points total for a 1st overall is defenseman Chris Philips who got 5 goals, 16 points in that same year.

[@jeffwhite5007]

Weird coincidence: the first nhl game Nico Hishier saw live was EDM vs OTT in Ottawa during Taylor Hall's rookie year. Taylor Hall didn't score his first goal until his 7th game. Nico Hishier would also score his first goal in his 7th game, it was assisted by Taylor Hall and was in Ottawa, where he saw Taylor play. Nico also scored his second goal in that game too.

[@RobTalksHockey]

danggg

[@jeffwhite5007]

Obviously both #1 overalls

[@benguin_]

It’s took me a second, but I heard you slip that ‘nice’ in there 😂😂😂

[@RobTalksHockey]

;)

[@rielbignell30]

Hey rob I want to thank you for getting me through a hard time when I was like 13 or 12 I remember being on this channel when you had like 30 K subs and you help me learn a lot about hockey and I wanna thank you for both of those things

[@RobTalksHockey]

Thanks for the support brother. I hope you are doing well : )

[@jonmendelson1104]

As a Sharks fan I've been trying to push Slackin' for Macklin as the slogan for this year.

[@RobTalksHockey]

Hahaha

[@nickpare]

Thanks for this video. As a Montréal fan, a reminder of the examples of the Yakupov and Mcdavid situations debuts help me to puts things into perspective and makes me less worried about Slafkovsky's progress. For Bedard, I wish him an average of points per game comparable to Mcdavid and Crosby. But I'm afraid he won't have the offensive and defensive support that Crosby and Mcdavid had for doing that.

[@denverf0266]

hi tf

[@AnthonyAscue]

When EDM drafted Yakupov, I said IMMEDIATELY, he was going to be the next Pavel Brendl. I thought Brendl was going to be the next Bure. Boy I wish I could have that take back lol

[@Darynnn]

9:53 you mistook Arber Xhekaj (72) for Josh Anderson (17)

[@RobTalksHockey]

You are so right

[@Darynnn]

:)

[@Agregoire61]

It was Xhekaj forchecking on the 1st Slaf's Goal.

[@SMG2fanatic]

I’m definitely tempering my expectations with Bedard. Looking at every 1st overall forward pick since 2004 (Ovechkin), the average rookie season for a full 82 games comes out to about 26 goals and 60 points. Only McDavid has averaged over a point a game since Crosby/Ovechkin. And Mackinnon didn’t start really lighting up the league until his 5th season. So long story short, the hype is already crazy but patience is the name of the game.

[@floopypuncakes]

Yak also at least in Sarnia...played amazingly when he listened to his coach's...but his dad I guess liked to talk to him about what he should do..and he completely changed and sucked ..and it would be a constant fight

[@mattblom3990]

"The Rangers drafted Lafrienierre where...It went rough." True then, true now.

[@rousseausp]

I really hope you're right about Slaf mon ami!

[@chrispswann6825]

Everybody thinks of Alexandre Daigle as a 1st overall bust. But when Daigle made his debut in 1993, he exploded out of the gate with 13 points in his first 7 games. Pretty good debut. Too bad he couldn't keep it up

[@DaddysBathTime]

You should talk about the time the Abbotsford Heat dominated the Pittsburg Penguins

[@estellegrignon]

With Slaf, it's important to note how covid messed up a lot of young players' development. It's not just him: outside of Juraj, noone from the 2022 draft class was able to break into the NHL last season. In fact, the entire draft class has played a combined total of 53 games, 39 of which where by Slaf. I don't have the numbers from other draft classes, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's a record low

[@RobTalksHockey]

Great point!

[@narniawarrior0924]

With Taylor Hall with 89pts n Nick Foglino 67pts, I would say about 76 pts, 36goals

[@buckyhermit]

Joe Thornton's rookie season stats would probably shock a lot of people today. 7 points in 55 games.

[@curtisder]

"Technically", the Oilers didn't win three draft lotteries in a row. In 2011, NJD won the lottery, but with the rules at the time, NJD moved up five spots, and Edmonton retained 1st overall.

[@classic.cameras]

McDavid should have won the Calder in 2016. He had more than a point per game prior to his injury. Like the guy would probably have got 100pts in his rookie year. Where as Artemi Panarin played great that season as well but he played many seasons in a "pro league" before his rookie year. Why I think he should have been ineligible is because Gretzky was denied the Calder because he played a season in the WHA. Same thing as far as I am concerned. Then again, at least it wasn't a Sergei Makarov situation.

[@RobTalksHockey]

Agreed.

[@briandies1530]

History of best on best international tournaments next ?

[@Jinjee_YamYam]

People calling BUST to players who just turned to 18 need to look what they did when they were 17-8 yrs old. We gotta give these players at least 2-3 seasons to develop for man's league! Hope Slaf and Bedard do well soon

[@user-uq5yc8dc2u]

1:16 incorrect. not Hemsky but Sam Gagner with the dish.

[@bzigazwee]

ryan poehling wit the hatty in his first game

[@Boredofcrafting]

Interesting you point out Slafkovsky using his large size. There were several times when he didn't and even got hurt because of it. I think that affected his season really negatively.

[@smeagol9119]

Ghost his rookie year had record breaking stats. Should have won honestly

[@Canuck-Fiend]

Quinn Hughes is going to be an extreme talent in the coming years, he is doing amazing this season, and now Canucks captain

[@RobTalksHockey]

Definitely! 💪

[@mpreuss2]

I fairly certain that Bedard was born when Crosby was drafted, but he was like 13 days old 😂

[@arcnerd2571]

GETTING CLOSE TO 100000!!!

[@RobTalksHockey]

WHEU

[@dieselmaytwayashing9659]

Mic david isn't a disappointment he's a god level hockey player

[@rawleyhunter]

im curious to know why u think Slaf will eventually play centre

[@RobTalksHockey]

He played center at times in his draft year. For younger guys, it has become common for them to start at wing and slowly transition to center

[@Squirrelpadre]

@@RobTalksHockeycringe comment . Slaf has no hockey iq . Change this channel to a curling channel . L

[@Danny0dbert]

I remeber all the McDavid haters...i watched him in the OHL. Now look at McJesus almost 1000 points already. He might hit it this year.

[@RobTalksHockey]

Me too, crazy lol

[@Oilerfan5]

Yak was the prime victim of Eakins, even Nuge took years to get his game back.

[@AbolishedEmu]

Nuge had a fluke season last year.

[@lookinforthe70s]

I don't think people hold coaches and organizations accountable enough in the development of prospects. Yakupov was fine until he was coached by Dallas Eakins. Everybody has issues. When you don't develop prospects well, those negative issues come to the forefront. When you develop prospects well, the negative issues get under control.

[@RobTalksHockey]

Very true.

[@carsontorraville9826]

Hugh(g)es ceiling !? I see what you did there 👀😏

[@maximenicolas6117]

Arber Xhekaj finished his hit on Josh Brown, not Josh Anderson

[@aqn1976]

Comparing #1 overall picks IMHO: -> Slaf's Floor = Nail Yakupov -> Slaf's Ceiling = Alexis Lafrenière

[@CanadianBongRipper]

Yakupov rookie year was great

[@RobTalksHockey]

Looking at his game tape, I was shocked on how dynamic he was. His puck skills, explosive skating, etc. Such a shame

[@CanadianBongRipper]

yes, same with his OHL tapes, so much skills but no hockey iq @@RobTalksHockey

[@SURVIVORkid23]

First of all it was Arber Xhekaj who finished the check on Brown, not Josh Anderson. Secondly, there’s is zero percent chance that Slafkovsky finds himself at centre this year or any of the next few years moving forward.

[@RobTalksHockey]

Never? hmmm

[@SURVIVORkid23]

@@RobTalksHockeyon a team with Suzuki, Dach, Monahan, Dvorak (for now) Evans, Newhook, Beck who are all centres… it makes absolutely no sense to force him into a position that isn’t his natural position. We tried with Drouin when he came over & it fucked him up & overwhelmed him. So yes I can confidently say never

[@RobTalksHockey]

​@@SURVIVORkid23 I am by no means saying Montreal should rush him into the center spot. In fact I would say the discussion is far too early. But I wouldn't write it off

[@blueshky]

I feel Slaf can get 50 pts this year

[@ReinisChannel]

What it means dash one?

[@RobTalksHockey]

-1 +/-

[@Brendajanephillips514]

Wheres my man Cole Caufield? This kid scored 2 ot winners for his first 2 goals.

[@Mr.O-Town]

Didn’t realize he was a 1st overall pick

[@BestDraftClass]

Gonna dig out my n64 now guys

[@jclvmanagement7848]

Bedard isn't exactly lighting up the lamp in preseason. Could be nerves or his brain needs to adjust to the world class talent in the NHL he never had to deal with in the minors. At the same time, he's realizing the talent he was steam rolling everyone with in the minors, including goalies, isn't going to be taking candy from a baby at the NHL level. That said, I'd say, after preseason, he's in a bit of shock right now, because he knows he has to elevate his game to the next level immediately. If he doesn't he's going to get shut down at every turn and move he makes. He had a break away in a pre season game, didn't score. Easy save for a seasoned NHL goalie. Bedard will be lucky to have a 50 point season in his NHL debut. My biggest concern is the D on an opposing team giving the kid a welcome to the NHL crushing hit when he's not looking. Bedard should be more focused on keeping his head up rather than lighting up the light, until he gets to know who are real bone crushers out there that won't hesitate to end your career while you're taking a rush pass up the middle at center ice.

[@dallassylvestre8155]

Matthews is Ron Jeremy

[@AdamSandler.]

What happens with kakko?

[@RobTalksHockey]

I can still see Kakko being a great second liner. He's shown big upside on the defensive side. But if it's between Laf and Kakko, I would choose Laf.

[@ambersonerikson3122]

It was Xhekaj who hit Brown not Anderson

[@RobTalksHockey]

True

[@dustinmatthews387]

Who is Pablo Matthews???🤔

[@jonathannadler8283]

What do you say about doing a video about dirt players with focus on the dirtiest one Mike Messier?!!

[@LancasterResponding]

I don’t want Bedard to be a bust I just want the Blackhawks to fail

[@RobTalksHockey]

Haha!

[@Habsfan56744]

I think slaf with breakout and have 45 points

[@RobTalksHockey]

I think so too. I will give it 2 more years until he fully breaks out

[@videogamevalley7523]

I say Conner will have 35 goals and 81 points (idk I jus feel he will be a great passer)

[@Bill-mw7sh]

I'm getting jack hughs vibes from bedard

[@RobTalksHockey]

As in slow rookie season?

[@ChickenButt598]

Bedard is gonna have 33 goals and 59 assists

[@ColeTalksHockey67]

Nice to see something realistic from Bedard. I’m thinking something similar to Auston Matthews’ rookie season 40 goals 29 assists

[@goldenknight2961]

Slaf had no business going first overall when Wright was a no brainer

[@daboiracing3848]

The Most Surprising 2en Overall Pick Debut

[@RobTalksHockey]

👀

[@Ignite_Intensity193]

Slaf is the slowest player I ever watched

[@sciebelmedia8696]

The over hype of McDavid is actually crazy... Mario was the greatest prospect of all time no question.

[@RobTalksHockey]

Fair

[@estellegrignon]

Best debut too: in his first seconds in the NHL on his first shift, he managed to strip the puck from future HHoF Raymond Bourque to score his first goal. I don't think anyone ever had a better start than that

[@thatothertoddd22]

TOE DRAG RELEASE

[@reignofrock]

McDavid hasn't reached bust territory but he ain't out of the woods yet.

[@edenisburning]

Idk if a lot of these players were really a disappointment. I think people just have unrealistic expectations.

[@Yoboysburner]

Slaf at centre?

[@RobTalksHockey]

He played center at times during his draft year. It's very common for young players to start on the wing and transition to center. A big bodied skater like that would be a monster if he can develop into a C

[@DibsEquipped]

Bedard 70 points

[@lucaz0g]

Third

[@mikekennedy5374]

Lol did this dude just call it sports illustrator?

[@RobTalksHockey]

:(

[@darkkid499]

First??

[@lucaz0g]

Aye you where

[@RobTalksHockey]

👀

[@Elementsoftheory29]

NAIL was not the biggest bust

[@SunnyVale420]

Laf should’ve been sent back to the q then the minors smh

[@user-hh1wf3jt5h]

mathewws

[@frankdeboer1347]

Enough dumping on Nail

[@RobTalksHockey]

🙄

[@benguin_]

Never

[@fatloserboi]

Crosby was drafted July 30th and Bedard was born July 17th...

[@RobTalksHockey]

Whoops you are correct. I got confused because the draft got pushed back from the lockout

[@AbolishedEmu]

As good as Mcdavid is, he still doesnt know how to take faceoffs

[@user-bg5fx1mx1y]

Step up the clickbait game, that was weak asf

[@thedecipher346]

Lafreniere is a huge bust

[@dsmith1723]

Russian kids don't adjust well culturally

[@yourmother1631]

Mario Lemieux's first shift and Bedard ain't reaching 50 Points this season